2014 Chevrolet Volt

Base FWD 4-Dr Sedan I4

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Base FWD 4-Dr Sedan I4

2014 chevrolet volt Reviews and News

2014 Chevrolet Volt

By
Evan McCausland
- 10/30/2013

New For 2014

Chevrolet has only mild cosmetic tweaks in store for the 2014 Volt. A leather-wrapped steering wheel is now standard, while heated front seats are optional on cars equipped with cloth seating surfaces. The charge-port cover, located ahead of the driver’s door, now opens with a simple push instead of an internal release. Two new paint colors join the lineup, while the available jet black interior scheme now incorporates monochromatic seats.

General Motors’ plug-in-hybrid/extended-range electric car was designed as personal transportation but has turned into a lightning rod for political pundits. Now in its third year on the North American market, the 2014 Chevrolet Volt isn’t subject to any drastic overhaul, despite sales figures that aren’t quite on par with GM’s original lofty expectations.

Overview

It’s a hybrid. It’s an electric. The reality is that the 2014 Chevrolet Volt lies somewhere between those two categories. Plug in the Volt to recharge its lithium-ion battery pack, and the car behaves like an EV, offering up to forty miles of electric-powered driving. That’s the work of a 149-hp traction motor, although a second motor, which primarily functions as a generator, can provide additional power during heavy acceleration.

Some misinformed critics allege that you’re up a creek without a paddle once that battery runs out of electrons, but that isn’t the case with the 2014 Chevrolet Volt. Once the battery charge dips too low, a small four-cylinder engine kicks in, providing electricity to power the drive motor, as well as directly driving the front wheels during high-speed cruising. That last point riles electric-vehicle purists, although GM says it improves the efficiency of the car by 10 to 15 percent.

If that sounds like a sophisticated driveline, it’s because it is. In fact, when compared with competitors like the Ford C-Max Energi and the Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid, the Volt’s driveline sophistication shines through. Yes, the 1.4-liter “range extender” sounds a bit buzzy, but when fully charged, the Volt behaves more like a true electric car than either of those competitors. There’s no need to baby the accelerator in order to keep the car in EV mode.

If there’s anything the 2014 Chevrolet Volt’s rivals do better, it’s space. Thanks to its large, T-shaped battery pack, the Volt is strictly a four-seater, whereas the Nissan Leaf, the C-Max Energi, and the Prius PHEV seat five.

You'll like:

Up to 40 miles of EV range

Additional range thanks to four-cylinder engine

Drives like a normal car; functions much like a normal EV

You won't like:

Seating limited to four

Funky control interface

Cost of installing 220-volt charger

Key Competitors

Sales of the Chevrolet Volt may be waning for now, but General Motors is investing big in the next generation of the plug-in hybrid. GM is setting its sights on a greater all-electric range for the Chevrolet Volt, and the automaker has also announced that the vehicle’s next iteration will employ a larger, 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine as a range extender.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) small front-overlap crash test remains a seriously tough nut to crack for many automakers. Results from the most recent round of testing on small cars are in, and only the 2014 Chevrolet Volt received the organization’s Top Safety Pick + designation. Of the 32 vehicles tested, 19 earned a Good or Acceptable rating for small front-overlap crashes.

Before his departure as top dog at General Motors, Dan Akerson laid out plans for his company to develop lighter electric vehicles with at least 200 miles of range per charge. According to Reuters, South Korea battery supplier LG Chem has now announced that in 2016 it will introduce batteries for electric vehicles with 200-mile ranges. Given that the next generation of the Chevrolet Volt is rumored for 2016, and Akerson made clear his plans to give it an improved range capacity, we think the batteries could very well be destined for the next Volt.

The Chevrolet Volt may have a gasoline range-extender engine on board to provide extra driving range, but most owners rarely need it. Chevrolet says that Volt owners use all-electric mode more than 63 percent of the time, and have collectively traveled 500 million miles on electric power since the car was launched in late 2010.

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